Journal #8

“Web 2.0 Today’s Technologies, Tomorrow’s Learning” by Jennifer Groff and Jason Hass

This article focuses on social networking sites, digital games, and simulations, and how they have become so popular among the under 18 crowd. With that said a group of people for MIT’s Education Arcade have come together to figure out how these tools can be incorporated in the classroom. One program called Ning, offers the option to create a social networking space for a classroom. Students can extend their classroom discussions into the space and also provide resources that compliment class lessons. Simulations can offer a close to real life experience without even leaving the classroom. One teacher claims that his students are able to explore the components of a forest fire or the process of evolution, where they cannot normally get a true sense of it in the real world. In a digital game students are able to create lives in which they have to pay for bills, manage their time and money and get a sense of what it feel like to be an adult. There are many recourses available to us it is up to us to manipulate them to fit a lesson in our own classrooms.

Are their disadvantages to these programs and this type of technology?
With many new technologies there is typically a cost that is associated with it. Money is scarce for everyone and especially in schools. New programs cost money and sometimes new faster computers are required to run them. Writing for grants and donations is likely necessary to get the materials needed.

How can we bring these kind of technologies into our classroom?
We first need to take the time as teachers to explore these technologies on our own and get a feel for how we can use them in our classrooms. Another aspect that may be helpful is to look outside for direction. It may be beneficial for another teacher to commit as well, or people may know of ideas and ways to make things go more smoothly.